The title, "Final Girl," suggests a story that will comment upon one of the longstanding narrative tropes of slasher-movie cinema—that the last survivor left to face off against the madman/alien/creature/ghost will inevitably be female. In the loosest sense, the film proper kind of does this, but in an unsurprising, rather plodding way that offers little to no surprises or insight into this genre convention. Indeed, 2013's deliciously unnerving, Adam Wingard-directed "You're Next" could have been rechristened with this moniker and much more savvily lived up to the concept of a final girl. In contrast, the noticeably underdeveloped "Final Girl" goes through the motions while introducing a bevy of central plot points that never lead to a payoff. Whatever substance the film has can be almost strictly attributed to Abigail Breslin (2015's "Maggie"), humanizing a character who gets no help from screenwriter Adam Prince.
Twelve years ago, orphan Veronica (Abigail Breslin) was taken under the wing of William (Wes Bentley), a man thirsty for vengeance following the murders of his wife and daughter. Meticulously trained to be her own greatest weapon, a teenage Veronica is finally prepped for her mission. Luring 17-year-old serial killers Jameson (Alexander Ludwig), Shane (Cameron Bright), Danny (Logan Huffman) and Nelson (Reece Thompson) into a situation where she appears to be most vulnerable, Veronica plans to turn her hunters into the hunted with cold, undaunted efficiency.
See Dustin Putman, TheFilmFile.com. for full review
